Researchers from Georgia Tech University are working along two parallel tracks to develop energy-efficient robots based on the teamwork of ants and the movement of snakes. Envisioned for use in developing search-and-rescue robots, the technology could also be adapted to swell the ranks of robots with green jobs , for example in designing and fabricating solar cells , performing environmental monitoring or remediation, or subbing in for humans to perform potentially dangerous work such as wind turbine maintenance. Snakes, Robots and Energy Efficiency Robotic snakes are becoming fairly common, at least in the development stages, for use in search and rescue operations as well as surveillance and reconnaissance, and even in art . What they all have in common is a long, snake-like appearance. The Georgia Tech team, headed by professor David Hu , is focused less on looks and mo...